Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, whose compositions sparked riots, once touted the benefits of working within a narrow framework. “The more constraints one imposes,” he said, “the more one frees one's self.” Constraints, he continued, can lead a designer to precision in execution. Sure, Stravinsky was talking...

Because most medical devices include both a durable instrument and a consumable, product developers often face a pivotal question during the early design process: What stays on the instrument itself, and what belongs on the consumable? There is no simple answer to that question. Every product...

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to speak at the Defense Materials, Manufacturing and Infrastructure (DMMI) Committee’s workshop on Low Volume Manufacturing at the National Academies in Washington DC. ...

Lab on a Chip, Microfluidics, and Sample to Answer are terms we hear a lot when designing medical devices. For years the trend has been to integrate more and more laboratory functions into small disposable chips or cartridges with the ideal goal of being...